DETROIT – According to reports in Tuesday’s editions of The Detroit News, University of Maine goaltender Jimmy Howard has been offered a contract by the Detroit Red Wings.

Wings general manager Ken Holland said he expects a response later this week from the team’s second-round pick in 2003. Howard, who Detroit projects as a starter, would begin his pro career in Grand Rapids with the Wings’ top minor league affiliate.

Howard would be entering his senior season at UMaine. He was a second team All-American in the 2003-04 season.